HYBE terminates contract with Le Sserafim's Kim Ga-ram

Former member Kim Ga-ram of girl group Le Sserafim [SOURCE MUSIC]

HYBE has terminated its contract with Kim Ga-ram of girl group Le Sserafim following an ongoing school bullying scandal.

The entertainment firm and its subsidiary Source Music issued a statement on Wednesday morning.

“We decided to terminate our contract with Kim. We sincerely apologize for causing discomfort to many people due to the controversy regarding Kim," wrote HYBE and Source Music.

The firm also stipulated that the originally six-member Le Sserafim will be “active as a team of five from now on.”

“We will do our best to support Le Sserafim so that it can consistently grow as an artist. Thank you.”

Kim had been facing bullying accusations before her debut, but nonetheless debuted as a member of Le Sserafim in May. The girl group was a commercial success from the start, but the accusations against Kim escalated later that month when an image of an alleged official school document started circulating online — showing that a committee was called to deal with a case of school violence perpetrated by “Grade 1 Class 3 Kim Ga-ram.” It showed that the listed perpetrator faced disciplinary measures as a result. A few days later, the alleged victim issued an official statement through a law firm, claiming that the document was real.

HYBE eventually admitted that the document was authentic but maintains that Kim was largely wrongly accused. Kim took a hiatus from Le Sserafim’s activities from May 20. At the time, HYBE emphasized that Kim would not be leaving the group.

Le Sserafim is produced by Source Music, a label under K-pop powerhouse HYBE known for boy band BTS. It debuted in May with six members: Miyawaki Sakura, Kim Chae-won, Hong Eun-chae, Kazuha and Huh Yun-jin and Kim Ga-ram. Sakura and Kim Chae-won were already well-known as former members of girl group IZ*ONE, a project girl group formed through Mnet’s hit idol audition program “Produce 48” (2018).

The group’s debut EP “Fearless” set a new record for a K-pop girl group’s debut album sales, selling over 300,000 copies in the first week of its release. The EP’s lead track “Fearless” is also proving to be a long-running hit on domestic and global charts.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]